


Small Bites

by flightofthedragons



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Gen, based largely on personal experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9534314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightofthedragons/pseuds/flightofthedragons
Summary: The thing that sucked about being a college athlete was that Nurseyhadto watch his weight. He had to stay healthy; he couldn’t afford to sleep in and miss breakfast because he’d need the calories to burn during practice.The offseason is different, though. Nursey always started out taking care of himself, but by the time finals started cropping up he was sleeping until 10 minutes before his classes and going to poetry workshops in the evening and staying up to the early hours of the morning working. He was constantly busy, he was constantly tired, and he didn’t have enoughtimeto- well, he didn’t have time to take care of himself.





	

The thing that sucked about being a college athlete is that Nursey _had_ to watch his weight. He had to stay healthy; he couldn't afford to sleep in and miss breakfast because he'd need the calories to burn during practice.

The offseason is different, though. Nursey always started out taking care of himself, but by the time finals started cropping up he was sleeping until 10 minutes before his classes and going to poetry workshops in the evening and staying up to the early hours of the morning working. He was constantly busy, he was constantly tired, and he didn't have enough _time_ to- well, he didn't have time to take care of himself.

He didn't realize he was doing it again until he wandered into the Haus one day and Bitty was there with pie. The pie looked good- Bitty's pies _always_ looked good- but Nursey wasn't hungry. 

Which is weird, because he hadn't eaten yet that day.

Come to think of it, he'd only eaten one meal the day before. 

Nursey forgot, is the thing. He ate socially, and he knew he didn't get hungry like a normal person, which is why he scheduled when he was supposed to eat, but he'd been busy lately and it slipped his mind.

Until now, because Bitty was standing in the kitchen offering him pie and it looked so good, but did he really want to break his streak of not eating for a slice of cherry when he wasn't even hungry?

"Thanks Bits," Nursey forced himself to take the offered slice. He ate it in small bites, and if anyone noticed how long it took him they didn't say anything. There was no one else watching out for him, which meant Nursey needed to take care of himself.

In theory, anyway. What actually happened is Nursey told himself he was fine because he ate every day and he didn't need that much food, anyway. He hadn't forgotten, his diet was there in the back of his mind, but he hadn't done anything about it, either.

And all of a sudden it was midnight on a Thursday night and he was alone. It'd been a shitty week, his depression was overwhelmed and ever-present and he had no motivation. He'd already eaten that day, so he didn't need to eat again, and he wasn't hungry, but if he didn't eat now that would make 4 days straight with only one meal. He _knew_ better, even if his body didn't.

There was nothing forcing him to get food, though, so if he didn't _need_ it….

Fuck, he did need food, he just had no motivation.

Nursey glanced balefully at the kitchen, but it seemed like a lot of effort just for… what? What was the point of eating?

_12:11a, Nursey: Do u want to get food_  
12:13a, C: Now? Sure I guess  
12:14a, Dexy: Why the fuck are you getting hungry NOW?  
12:14a, Dexy: I'll drive. 

By the time he got to Dex's car, Chowder was already there. Nursey climbed in the backseat alone and watched his breath condense in the cold. 

"What do you want?" Dex asked, putting the car in gear.

"Huh?"

"You're the one who wanted food. What are you in the mood for?" Dex pulled onto the road while Nursey shrugged his lack of an answer.

"Driver's choice," he grinned. Dex glared at him in the mirror. 

"I want tacos," Chowder piped up. "Lets go to that place on 8th street."

So they ended up at a taco place at close to 1am less than 2 weeks before finals, because Nursey was a nineteen year old college student and he absolutely had control over his own life. There was one other group at a table, but half of the chairs were up over cleaned tables and the overhead music was louder than the conversation.

Nursey, Dex, and Chowder got an indiscriminately large number of tacos to bring back to the dorm with them. They piled together in Nursey's single and suddenly eating was easy; like he did that every day. Which, he reasoned, he mostly did. Sort of.

"I'm a mess this week," he said conversationally. "I keep forgetting to eat."

"How do you forget to eat?" Chowder asked. "Don't you get hungry?"

"What, have you never accidentally starved yourself?" Nursey joked, uncomfortable. Chowder shook his head no.

"Not on accident," Dex raised his eyebrows. "How are you such a human disaster?"

Nursey shrugged. "I'm fine. I just don't get hungry when I'm stressed and then I forget to eat."

"I'll bring you food if you want," Chowder offered.

Nursey shrugged again. "Don't you dare tell Bitty. I'm fine, seriously." Both Chowder and Dex looked at him skeptically, but they didn't argue.

When the time drifted closer and closer to 2:30pm, Dex and Chowder prepared to leave. After a moment's consideration, Chowder scooped up the leftover food and gave half of it to Dex.

"If you haven't eaten anything by the time Dex or I see you today, you're getting leftover tacos," Chowder warned.

Nursey sat up to protest, but Dex interrupted him. "If your dumb ass can't look out for yourself, then someone else has got to."

"I- fine," he agreed under his friends' combined glares. "Okay, yes, I'll eat."

"You'd better," Dex threatened. "Goodnight, Nursey."

"'Night."

"Goodnight!" Chowder shut the door quietly, leaving Nursey alone for the night.

_2:38a, Nursey: Thanks._

**Author's Note:**

> http://autisticchowder.tumblr.com/post/154543092200/the-thing-that-sucked-about-being-a-college  
> i have so many ficlets waiting that i'll hopefully post this year. for now i'm just gonna crosspost this thing.


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